Not having our children with us wasn’t the best thing about spending a weekend getaway at Spier, but let me assure you, it was certainly a highlight. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t equally looking forward to the contrast of a weekend getaway with my partner at Spier. Late lie-ins, buffet breakfasts, dinner at Moyo, wine tasting, and beautifully – all without children.
I had stayed at Spier previously and been there sporadically for lunches or picnics, so I wasn’t expecting to do much more than sleep in and enjoy a bit of pampering. That was my first and most pleasant surprise. After checking that the kids hadn’t in fact snuck into the car and that we were in fact alone, I was surprised by how much had changed since I was there last.
In a gentle and organic way, Spier is very dynamic and keeps changing and keeps moving forward. Whether it is a unique employment enterprise to handle their laundry and recycle their water, or a Segway tour of their farm and vineyards, or their new restaurant, Eight at Spier. It was the fact that the vegetables, salads, chicken, eggs and lamb at their restaurant were all produced organically right there on the farm. It was the Treepreneurs project that I visited that Spier supports and houses. And of course it was also the new wine range and the new artwork.
The environment was equally as dynamic, and had changed since my last visit. The Eerste River now in full winter flow, the trees were showing off their wonderful autumn colours, and there were birds everywhere. There was even a newly ploughed field being prepared for vines where last time there had been lawn.
Did I mention the really great birding? There were birds everywhere. And paths: nice long, beautiful, wood-chipped paths where you can walk off breakfast … and lunch … and supper. And yet, so much was also the same. The good things had not changed. The incredibly proud and friendly staff, the beautiful gardens , the incredible artwork.
Spier is the perfect place for a mid-winter weekend recharge. Only 50 km from Cape Town, there are no long drives, no packing or having to stop for padkos. It is completely stress free and makes a normal weekend feel like a long weekend (arrive early on Friday and leave late on Sunday). If you time it right you can get back on Sunday evening and find that the kids are already bathed and fed.
I arrived on Friday and had a late lunch at Eight at Spier. The food was delicious and wholesome and it was made even more tasty knowing that it had been grown organically on the farm. I had the roast chicken (free range) and my lunch companion had the chicken pie. I would have tucked into the wine but had arranged to meet and interview two project participants and so instead I had the most delicious fruit drink, freshly blended and tinged with ginger. The restaurant decor was fantastic and their concept of sustainable farming was carried through to their furniture and decor. All of which was either creatively made out of recycled materials (you will love their ceilings made out of recycled plastic milk bottles), or was a mix-match of pieces of furniture from around the estate. But make no mistake, at its heart, this is a wonderful restaurant, with delicious food and a roaring log fire to keep warm in front of on a winter’s day. After my afternoon interviews, and sampling a couple of the chocolates left on the bed, I managed to get in an hour and a half nap to set the right tone for the week-end and relax after a long week.
At about 7.30pm I hopped on the golf cart service that the hotel offers and headed across to Moyo for supper. Other than my diet, which was taking a knock, things were looking up. After enjoying a quiet whiskey at the bar, warmed by the roaring braziers and gently absorbing the atmosphere, I headed through to my table in the main tent. There was a slight awkwardness when the head chef came out to greet me and I was sure that he could quickly sum up my lack of foodie credentials. My kids surprisingly came to my rescue by virtue of me having sat through nineteen and a half viewings of the animated film Ratatouille. I quickly assumed my understated food critic persona and saved face for all concerned.
Wow. I know I don’t get out that much, but I had forgotten how dynamic and engaging Moyo is. There was live entertainment from an incredible African drumming quartet and the atmosphere was all warmth and rhythm and laughter. With braziers glowing and warm and thick blankets on the back of every chair,the tent was a warm and enticing oasis on a cold winters night. Moyo – a Persian palace meets the Queen of Sheba.
And this is the bad thing about diets and buffets. They just don’t go together. Especially when you bear the burden of being a faux foodie and thus release yourself from the constraints of limitations. Faux foodies have to taste everything. There was the potjie buffet, the meat buffet and the venison buffet. Then there was the fish buffet, vegetable buffets, salad bars and two pudding buffets. And last, but desirously and importantly necessary, there was a buffet of cheeses and biscuits and crystalized figs. I sampled them all with abandon and washed them all down with some great Spier wines.
Another very good reason to spend a winter weekend away at Spier. No driving. No sir. After a wonderful meal and plenty of wine, you retire back to the bar where you enjoy a nip of sherry or port, while you wait for the golf cart to take you back to your room. Smiling in anticipation at the thought of the fireplace in your room and a long steaming bath with a good book.
I did an alternative Winelands tour on Saturday that ended with a big cook-up lunch. Dreamcatcher South Africa has a system where a guide meets you and gets into your car with you and takes you on your tour. This works really well, both when wine tasting and when visiting places where you would normally get lost. I got back from my tour to find that someone had scoffed the chocolates while I was out and had attacked the mini bar. I retaliated by having my customary afternoon and early evening nap, a proper under-the-covers daylight snooze with a fire going at the foot of the bed.
On Saturday night we had supper at the hotel where we enjoyed a wine and food pairing. The jazz duo, the food and the wine were all included in the price and I had to be arm wrestled off my pudding – my eyes were bigger than my stomach. We met Spier’s wine maker who explained the wines to us and made sure that our glasses were always full. On Sunday, after sleeping late and attempting another buffet breakfast, we went on a two-hour Segway tour of the farm and the vineyards, followed by a wine tasting and a cheese, biscuit and olive lunch. After stopping off to buy a few of our favourite bottles we hopped into our cars and it felt easy and relaxed knowing that we had only a short trip home. It was an incredibly positive weekend, and I highly recommend it as a winter weekend break.
For more information on these or other Fair Trade Tourism adventures, visit the FTTSA website, or join FTTSA on Facebook.
Contact Spier
Web www.spier.co.za
Tel 021-881-8400
Eight at Spier
Web www.spier.co.za/what_to_do_at_spier/eight_at_spier
Tel 021-809-1188
Moyo at Spier
Web www.spier.co.za/what_to_do_at_spier/moyo_at_spier
Tel 021-809-1133
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